FaultScore

Harley-Davidson Sportster vs BMW 740I

Both cars' complete complaint records, side by side.

Read the totals carefully. NHTSA publishes no sales figures, so the car that sold more collects more complaints regardless of quality. The rows worth weighing are the proportions — the share of complaints that involved harm, and which part dominates.

Measure Harley-Davidson Sportster BMW 740I
Complaints on file 75 186
Model years covered 1985–2008 1993–2024
Worst model year 1993
Best model year 2017
Crashes reported 9 14
Fires reported 0 7
Injuries reported 7 11
Deaths reported 2 0
Most complained-about part Engine & Cooling Engine & Cooling
Share of complaints involving harm 24% 17.2%

Harley-Davidson Sportster by year

Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade: A B C D F ungraded

What breaks

Engine & Cooling 12 16.0%
Windows, Mirrors & Wipers 12 16.0%
Transmission & Drivetrain 10 13.3%
Brakes 9 12.0%
Fuel & Propulsion 9 12.0%
Electrical System 5 6.7%
Lights 5 6.7%
Steering 4 5.3%

BMW 740I by year

Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade: A B C D F ungraded

What breaks

Engine & Cooling 39 21.0%
Electrical System 24 12.9%
Brakes 15 8.1%
Transmission & Drivetrain 11 5.9%
Airbags 11 5.9%
Suspension 11 5.9%
Other & Unspecified 11 5.9%
Fuel & Propulsion 10 5.4%